A New Take On Things
by koko's donut-robots
Summary: I'm a little bad at these, so forgive me. Knock Out has changed sides and is now with the Autobots, but begins to have feelings for a certain bot, a leader at that. Does this leader accept these feelings or does this leader refuse the feelings during a time of war. Will Knock Out have the ball bearings to even confuse his feelings?
1. Chapter 1

_World: Transformers Prime  
Paring: OptimusxKnock Out_

* * *

_Chapter 1_

It had been some time since Knock Out decided to join the Autobots and leave his life with the Decepticons, but the atmosphere was still something he hadn't gotten adjusted to. The other members of Team Prime always gave him the cold shoulder, and he still needed to stay away from the humans, unless he was accompanied by another Autobot. No one trusted him. They all did their best to keep away from him unless they absolutely needed to be near him. There was only one Autobot that actually tolerated Knock Out and all of his nagging. And that Autobot was Optimus Prime.

Since no one wanted to be Knock Out's partner for field missions, the Prime took the responsibility of making the new Autobot his partner. When Knock Out was called out of the Med Bay from working with Ratchet, to work out on the field he would go with Optimus, and it made him feel… protected. Sure, it was nice having a big strong mech right by your side shooting down enemies that even got remotely close to you, but… this was a different kind of feeling.

Knock Out felt protected from the other Autobots that turned away from him, when he was stuck with them and began to nag at them, Optimus was there to make them stop. To remind them that Knock Out was now a part of their team, whether they liked it or not and they all had to just deal with it. Optimus was always true to his word, everyone deserves a second chance. Knock Out truly believed this when Optimus gave him his second chance, and Knock Out swore that he would do everything in his power to make sure he didn't mess it up.

Time had gone by, and Knock Out found himself… drawn to his new leader. He began to have such feelings for him, feelings that were saved for Breakdown when he was still online. Of course he was known for flirting with just about everything that could stand on two feet and wasn't covered in flesh, but this feeling was different. This feeling wasn't just the feeling he got when he had flirted with the drones on the ship, this was more of a feeling of caring. A feeling of actual love.

This situation confused Knock Out, he knew that that Prime was pure art; his rims were beyond remarkable… In fact, everything about that Prime was remarkable. Not only appearance wise, but also in personality, Optimus Prime was remarkable. Not many ever saw true emotions come out from the Prime, but since Knock Out worked in the Med Bay with the Autobot medic, he saw when they had conversations and Optimus was a bit more open with his feelings when he was around that old 'bot. Knock Out had only seen the Prime smile, once. It was only for a split second, but he saw it. Optimus was around the children, helping them with some useless research that needed to be done for their class, and there it was. A small, Prime smile. It made Knock Out's spark feel warm inside. He wanted so badly for the Prime to give him a smile, just a little one, and his life would be complete.

Of course, that was the old Knock Out.

Now he sees the smile all too much. When he gets out of recharge, and when he is only the field, when he is doing research, that smile is everywhere. But how can he see it everywhere? That is one simple question that has one simple answer.

_Knock Out was now the mate of Optimus Prime._


	2. Chapter 2

We are getting a bit ahead of ourselves aren't we? Every good story must start from the beginning, and that is precisely where we shall start.

Knock Out was never really happy about the idea of having to out in the field and risk his finish. He much rather preferred staying in the Med Bay and doing research with the Autobot medic; even if he was grouchy and annoying. Anything was better than being out in the open and having to 'protect humanity' and end the lives of the ones he once called allies. It was a bit hard at first to cope with the fact that he had to go on the field and extinguish the sparks of Decepticons, ones that he knew, ones that he had memoires with. He slowly adjusted as his sick mind wrapped around the overall idea of just killing. When he had first arrived the Autobots had restricted him from anything that involved dissection, use of his saw and drill, basically anything that involved violence. There was still a whole 'trust issue' going on.

But, now that he was more accustomed to being a part of the Autobots. It was safe for him to use his weapons, and he no longer had any problem with going out on the field. Especially since his partner was Optimus Prime. Knock Out recalled the time when Arcee nearly made a whole in the wall; she did not like the idea of Knock Out getting partnered up with their leader. She wanted him to strictly be confined to base grounds where he could actually be monitored. Arcee and Knock Out didn't have the best relationship.

"Optimus, with all due respect―are you out of your fragging mind?! You must have blown a circuit or something! How you could you possibly think it's smart to take that Con out on the field with you?!" Arcee nearly shouted at the Prime, not even caring if she was breaking protocol.

Optimus kept his faceplates emotionless, something he was quite good at. He simply waited for Arcee to finish what she was saying before he let his booming vocals be heard throughout the base. "This is not your decision to make, Arcee. I trust that Knock Out will perform admirably out on the field. We all are aware that we are lacking the firepower in the field. We could use another solider to fight alongside us."

"But how can you even consider putting him on the field?! And with you?! He is still a tricky 'Con on the inside, and I would hate for something to happen to you. We all know what he is capable of. I… I just don't think this is the wisest choice you've made."

There was a small silence between the two, as the other Bots made a small circle around them anticipating what Optimus would say on her comments. Again, his faceplates showed no emotions, he just gave a small nod of his helm and averted his optics to the side as if he was thinking of the proper response for the femme.

"Your opinion is noted Arcee, however I will say that my decision has been made. I believe that Knock Out is ready to be a part of this team, and the way to prove this is to allow him the same rights that the rest of you get. If we continue to restrict him of basic Autobot, and Cybertronian rights then he well truly never change. Changing an insignia and changing a spark are two different things. Knock Out will be under my watch and I can assure you that I will not let anything go past me, he will always be within my optic range, and you have nothing to worry about."

"But Optimus-"Arcee began to protest once again but the Prime gave a look that showed that this conversation was over. Their leader began to leave the main room and his pedes were heard throughout the whole base until they silenced and they all came to the conclusion that he had gone to his berth to confine himself. He would most likely for the remainder of the night, or at least until the rest of the team went off to recharge.

The 'Bots had all looked at one another then at Arcee who was still standing in the same spot, with tight fists and they could tell her faceplates showed an angry and frustrated emotion. Before anyone could say anything to her, she stomped out of the room and transformed from 'Bot to motorcycle in spilt seconds and left the base.

Knock Out had made himself comfortable in the corner of the room, away from the rest of the Autobots. He had listened to everything, what Arcee had said, and especially what Optimus had said. The slick sports car wasn't sure what to make of this whole situation, but he did come to a few conclusions. First, Arcee as totally against anything Knock Out did. She didn't trust him, she didn't like him, if it were up to her Knock Out wouldn't be standing there at the moment, his spark would have been extinguished a long time ago.

Another conclusion he had come to, was the Optimus had slowly begun to trust him. It may just be a small ounce of trust, but it was something. Better than nothing really. It was hard to earn the trust of the Prime, yet somehow Knock Out was able to accomplish that, he couldn't help but wonder how that was even possible, was it?

The medic decided he truly needed to figure out what was going on with Optimus, or he would give himself a processor ache until he found out. He left the room and quietly as he had entered and made his way to the quarters of the Autobot leader. He had never been to the quarters of Optimus Prime, but then again who really ever did go to his quarters besides himself? He was sure that the old 'Bot in the Med Bay had been in there a few times but that was it. It was as he walked down the hall that he realized how much Optimus isolates himself from others. Knock Out never really took under consideration how hard and stressful it must be to try and be a leader at the time of a war. A war that has been going on for so long, the medic wondered what the 'Bot used to be like; before the war when he was Orion Pax. He never had the privilege to ever go to the Iacon, and he certainly knew now there was no way he could ever see it.

Knock Out bit the tip of his claw as he thought; he never really had given a person so much thought beside himself. He was always only worried about his own wellbeing and could care less what happen to everyone else. Some could say Knock Out was always a Decepticon since the very beginning, but now was that truly changing? No, it couldn't be. He was still himself, wasn't he?

There was a small clonk noise as Knock Out blinked his red optics a few times before finally getting focus back and remembered he was still walking. He had bumped into the door of the Prime's quarters, well that sure was fast. Knock Out didn't even notice he had made it to his destination already. He supposed he was too deep in thoughts to really look at where he was going, and that truly bothered him, he shook his helm from side to side making sure to make a mental note to check if his helm was damaged with any scratches from impact with the door.

The cherry red medic looked at the door and stared_, well, it was now or never._


	3. Chapter 3

_Phew! This one sure took a while, I felt bad for making you all wait so long that I decided to make this chapter super long! ^_^ This has been so much fun to write, onto the next chapter!_

_-Koko ❤_

* * *

There was no answer at his knock. There was silence on the other side of the door, it was so quiet you could hear the sound of a scraplet running around on the floor, with its teeth chattering hungry for metal. Knock Out was beginning to have second thoughts; maybe this wasn't such a good idea? Perhaps the Prime was in a bad mood and he could come by later. _Yes, that sounds like a good idea_ Knock Out thought to himself. As he turned his pedes and was about to leave to the hallway he first entered in when he heard the sliding of metal indicating that the doors of someone's quarters were just opened.

The medic quickly turned when he heard the booming vocals of the Prime shattered the silence that was only there moments ago. His optics seemed as if they were having trouble staying open, he probably hasn't had a proper recharge in some time. Did Knock Out just interrupt him trying to rest? Wonderful, now he felt like a giant afthead, which only made it harder to keep his head up and look up to face the Prime.

"Knock Out? Is there something that you need?" The Prime asked as he stood at the doorway, he rubbed his optic for a split second and then went back to his leader stance that he was so well known for. Knock Out had to admit, seeing him rub his optic was a bit cute considering he always saw the Autobot quite stiff.

The smaller mech was just standing there, and he didn't notice for some time, but he was staring at the Prime's faceplates. Without saying anything, he only looked with those deep red optics into those of those bright light blue optics. He suddenly felt relaxed and all of a sudden he had the strength to actually speak back up to the Prime.

"Ah… Yes sir," He made sure to add the 'sir' he was the only 'Bot that he told sir. It took him a while to get accustomed to saying sir instead of 'my liege' or 'Lord'. In fact it was the most embarrassing moment ever when he called Optimus, Lord. All the Autobots had laughed at him, while Optimus placed a servo on his shoulder explaining to him that that titles such as those were unnecessary, and of course unwanted in this new living space. Knock Out had just given a small nod and pushed it off, and just started calling him Optimus, but it was still an embarrassing moment for him. One he would most likely never forget.

"I was just um… Wondering, about what you said…. Back there, to the two wheeler…" Knock Out scrambled to get the words out of his mouth, this was so strange. He had spoken with Optimus before and he never had this problem. Why was it so hard to speak with him now? Was it because of the topic…?

Optimus looked down at the smaller mech and gave a small nod showing he knew what he was talking about, that there was no need to try and finish his sentence. As the medic spoke Optimus observed with his optics that were now looking normal, normal for Optimus at least. "You are curious about what said about you?"

Knock Out gave a small and obviously nervous nod. It wasn't that much of a big deal, so why did it make Knock Out feel like it was? "Yes… Did you_… Mean all of that stuff you said about me?"_

Optimus replied with a simple answer. An answer that was said with pride and an answer that sent chills throughout Knock Out's frame. "I did," He began, placing a servo on the medic shoulder, "I meant every word I said about you. If you chose to believe what I said or not, I only spoke of the truth that came from my spark. I know there is good in you, Knock Out. You are slowly showing me that my theory is very much true, and I must say I am very proud of where you are now."

Knock Out could feel his faceplates heating up; he must have looked like an idiot to Optimus. But, for some reason he didn't care, he enjoyed the soft and gentle touch of Optimus. He enjoyed being there with him, just the two of them. It felt like they were the only two mechs left in the universe, and really, Knock Out wouldn't mind if that was the predicament they were left in.

The small medic was about to speak again, when they were interrupted by entering pedes. They both turned to the end of the hallway to see the team scout, Bumblebee standing there. He looked… surprised? His optics were wide and he kept looking from Optimus to Knock Out as if he was awaiting for some sort of explanation for what he was seeing. Optimus slowly removed his servo from the shoulder of the medic and slowly walked to Bumblebee and his booming vocals snapped the scout of from his daze. "Bumblebee, is there something you need?"

Knock Out whispered a Cybertronian curse word under his breath, their moment was perfect and it was just ruined. This was just like the human movies he had seen, once the female thought for sure they would kiss, or something, the moment was broken by something ridiculous. Now Knock Out knew how those females felt. _This was_ _ridiculous_.

"I see. Knock Out and I will go and investigate the signal. Inform Ratchet to monitor the screens at all time." Optimus said as he nodded his helm and began to walk out of the hall, "Come along, Knock Out."

Knock Out was too busy thinking about human movies that he didn't even hear what Optimus had discussed with the younger mech. He simply heard his name being called and quickly went after the Prime, like a lost puppy trying to get to its owner. "Uh sir? Where are we going?" He said in a soft tone as he trailed behind the Prime, his gaze meeting his aft due to his small size.

"There is a faint energon signal not far from the base. It is within driving distance, so you and I will venture out and go investigate what the signal is."

All Knock Out could do is simply give a small nod, unsure if the Prime could even see it since he was so small. The only fault he ever had with his perfect body, was his height. It made situations like this quite awkward. He walked behind him, not even attempting to catch up with the Prime's speed and before he knew it they were already at the entrance of the roadway. "Transform, and roll out!" Optimus said with his booming vocals that always sent shivers down Knock Out's spine.

With the sound of metal shifting and gears moving, they both changed from robots to vehicles in less than a second._' First mission with Optimus'_, he thought to himself, _'Better not mess this up…' _ The leader drove off first, of course, and Knock Out followed right on his side. He didn't notice it, but the rest of the 'Bots had all come to the entrance and had watched them prepare to leave. It was obvious these trust issues weren't going to go away for a long time.

**Challenge accepted.**

* * *

They drove in silence on the barren dessert road, not exchanging one single piece of dialogue. Needless to say, the atmosphere was pretty thick, and it got awkward easily. He knew that the Prime was never really one for talking; but that wasn't how Knock Out rolled.

Simplest way to start a conversation? "So… This is very nice weather. I would think it would already be dark at this hour…" He said finally, driving from side to side a bit, no need to be so secretive. Not like there was anyone on the road anyway.

The silence continued for a moment until the Prime finally decided to play into Knock Out's entertainment. He knew the ex-Con could never be silent, and a least a little talking would please the smaller mech. Then maybe he would decide to stay quiet on their trip. "Yes… The weather today is comfortable. You are most likely not used to seeing the hours go by, I take it that you spent most of your days aboard the ship, not leaving very often."

"Ah yes, a medic is supposed to stay on the Med. Bay in the case of an injury. But, being aboard just waiting around for someone to get hurt is boring. I mean, sometimes you 'Bots got my hands tied with all the Vehicons that would come in to the Med. Bay. But yes, I never really left the ship."

"Well now you may experience the Earth world more than you once did, it is a beautiful planet after all."

'_Ugh, please don't turn the conversation into something like that!'_ He thought to himself, but only replied with something completely different. "It is… quite the planet I will agree.

Not too much time had passed when he saw Optimus turning off from the road and into a forest that was covered with tall trees, and the native life forms all around. The moister was a bit too much for Knock Out to handle, and made a mental note to wax himself when they returned. Still, he stayed right beside the Prime driving at a slow pace, as did Optimus. Knock Out's aduials could pick up the beeping coming from inside Optimus' alt-mode. He must have had an energon tracker with him, in his interior.

As they neared a cavern, Optimus transformed back from the Peterbilt truck into a Cybertonian again. Knock Out let out a mental sigh, Primus what a model he was. Knock Out didn't notice he was staring at the Prime until Optimus turned to look at the newly changed 'Bot and spoke. "Come along Knock Out, we do not have a lot of time. Decepticons could already have the same energon trail."

"Ah! Yes! Right sir," He stumbled on his words a bit and transformed himself. How stupid he must have seemed to Optimus. It was like he was a rookie on the field, which he was not. This was just the first time on the filed with a Prime. Of course he was never. He needed to make a good first impression on him. Then maybe, just maybe he would really become Optimus' official partner for field missions. He only hoped he wouldn't mess up anymore on this mission.

"Knock Out, take high precautions; this cave is to be a place of where the humans look for remains of bones from the creatures that roamed before them. I am uncertain on how stable this cavern is, so please step lightly."

"Will do, Boss Bot." Knock Out replied with the pet name he had given Optimus when he had first joined the ranks of the Autobots. At first Optimus had protested the idea of the name, but once Knock Out began to constantly use it, Optimus saw no point in trying to argue with him. The smaller mech was far too stubborn.

The two 'Bots walked along the narrow alleys of the inside of the cavern, most of their light source was coming from their optics; they had forgotten to bring their flashlight, not knowing they would be investigating in such dark conditions. Knock Out looked around, squinting a bit as his optics adjusted to the dust and other materials that was in the atmosphere. Something… Something about this place seemed… _Familiar_. Wait a moment, Knock Out paused and stopped walking, and Optimus turned to look at him when the noticed the sound of his smaller pedes had gone silent.

"I know this place… It's an old energon mine, one of them that Starscream had ordered to abandon even though it was rich with energon…" He said as he pointed to the energon tracker; its needle on the machine had been slowly rising as they were walking. "This has to be the place."

Optimus raised the tracker as it pointed in the direction of another alley way, "Well this does support what you say. I do question why Starscream would abandon this cavern if it was so rich with energon. He must have been planning something…"

As they walked to the alley way Knock Out spoke again, "Well Starscream was known to try and keep a horde of energon for himself, without Megatron's knowledge." He let out a snort and crossed his servos over his chest plate. "You can guess how well that plan went."

Optimus said nothing, and only gave a small nod that was barely noticeable in the dark. As they approached the end of the alley, there was a small bit of light that came from an opening in the ceiling. The small bit of light was a bit much for their optics that were already adjusted to being in the dark. They both had to turn their faces away from the light for a moment to let their optics adjust. Knock Out blinked a few times and then walked around.

"Yup. This is the place." He said tapping his pede again an abandoned driller. "No doubt about it."

"It is still rich with energon… I question why Megatron would leave all of this energon exposed…."

"Hey, what's the point? There's all this free energon right here! We might as well just grab what we can get and ask questions later, right?" Knock Out said as he transformed his servo into a drill and began to dig into the wall of the cavern.

"I am unsure of this situation, something…. Something does not feel right about this. Perhaps we should head back to base and then evaluate the situation properly from there—" Optimus was cut off when laughter filled the empty cavern. They both looked around and franticly tried to find the source of the devilish laughter only to find Megatron standing where the small opening that was letting in the light was. A trap. And they had fallen right into his hands.

"I knew you could be naive and desperate to find a bit of energon, but this! I really should have seen this coming!"

Before Optimus could say something back at his once brother, Megatron fired up his canon and began to shoot at the rocks that where supporting him, letting the rocks fall on the Autobots below him. He transformed into his Cybertronian jet and flew off, not even wanting to see what the outcome was.

Knock Out frantically tried to avoid the falling rocks, but he could only avoid them for so long until larger rocks began to fall. He ran around trying to avoid the rocks, and the dust made it hard to see anything. "Boss Bot!" He called out, trying to use the skill of communication. Boss-"His vocals were cut off when a boulder came falling down and crushed on him. Landing right on his waist, keeping his legs tightly stuck under the boulder. The pain was too much to handle, the pressure on his legs was so painful he thought his legs would just explode. He let out a small yelp, and he pulled and tugged trying to free himself, when he felt a servo on his shoulder. The same servo that gave him chills. He turned to see the Prime down on one knee, trying to push the large boulder off from the small mech.

He might not have been an exact Autobot, but he was still a Cybertronian. That was enough for Optimus to save him, he wouldn't let him perish here, not like this. And not when Optimus could try and help, he was a strong bot after all. "Knock Out, are you damaged severely anywhere?" He asked with a small grunt as he pushed the boulder off of the smaller mech and blasted away more that continued to fall down from the ceiling.

"My… Legs…" He answered weakly, as he tried to move them to stand up once the boulder's massive weight was lifted off him. "I… can't feel my legs…"

Optimus' blinked his light blue optics, standing over Knock Out to cover him from the rocks that continued to fall. He spotted a small opening, "There. That is our escape route." Before Knock Out could turn his helm to see where the Prime was looking at, he felt himself be lifted off from the ground. His glowing red optics blinked and looked up to see that he was in the servos of the Prime, being carried. Optimus had applied his battle mask on to protect his faceplate from the sparks that exploded from the exposed wires on Knock Out's legs.

This had to be a dream, he was actually being held by Optimus Prime. He wanted to protest at first, trying to say something cheesy like 'I'm fine just put me down,' but couldn't seem to find the words. To sum it up, he was perfectly happy with being in Optimus' arms. He felt… safe and protected.

Knock Out raised a servo weakly over his faceplate to cover himself from the small pebbles that continued to fall even when they neared the exit. Megatron must have not known about this exit, since it was perfectly clear of the drills, or anything. It must have been an alternate route made after the miners abandoned the cavern. The flash of bright light was too much for Knock Out to handle, and he found himself cover his faceplate in the chest of the Prime. He didn't even care how he looked, if he looked like a sparkling, he just didn't care.

Optimus lowed his running when they were a safe distance from the cavern, and hidden well in the thick trees of the forest. He looked down at the medic that was in his arm and then down at the injury; it wasn't pretty. His thighs were almost completely crushed, and the exposed wires had been from the boulder, leaving him leaking energon. His left pede was almost complete crushed, pain chipped and metal was missing. Optimus could only imagine what kind of pain the mech was in, yet he did not show it.

"Ratchet," The booming vocals went on again, but this time Knock Out did not look up at him when he spoke, instead he simply allowed his helm to stay where it was. Safe in the chest of Optimus Prime. "I require a ground bridge, and prepare sick bay, you have much work ahead of you."


	4. Chapter 4

_I am having such fun with writing this~ I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am! Sorry for if there are spelling errors and whatnot._

_-Koko ❤_

* * *

The Autobot medic blinked his optics a few times, unsure if he had heard the message from Optimus correctly. Prepare sick bay? But for who? Optimus seemed perfectly fine, he sounded fine at least. And Ratchet had known him for so long, he could tell when Optimus was lying or not. He could tell, this he was not. Then who…?

Ratchet turned to his monitor as he checked for all the scanners on every 'Bot in the memory banks. Everyone seemed to be fine, Optimus was fine as suspected; but then Ratchet went down to the bottom of the line of 'Autobots' he had saved in his files. "Knock Out?"

Arcee had turned to look at him when she mentioned the name and placed her servos on her hips. She obviously didn't like the tone of voice the medic was using when he said the name. Just hearing Knock Out's name made Arcee cringe. "What? What about him? He didn't try anything on Optimus did he?!" She asked, each question she raised her voice a little more and more until she was nearly yelling at the medic.

"No no, don't jump to conclusions." The older mech snapped back at her, "It's not that… He's being reported as severely hurt." He pulled up a scan of Knock Out's frame and detected where the energon loss was coming from. His optics widen in horror as he quickly said, "We need to get him here, now!"

Bumblebee who had entered the room at the sound of Arcee's shouts was quick to respond. He went over to the ground bridge controls and pulled the lever that started up the vortex. They all watched as their leader and newest recruit walked through the ground bridge—well really only one walked through. No one said anything, Arcee didn't even comment on the fact the Optimus had an ex-Con in his servos. They starred in awe as the Prime silently walked over to where their small Med bay was located and laid the other medic on one of the tables, his faceplate was still on to protect his faceplates from the sparks that came from the crushed legs of Knock Out.

Ratchet shook out from his daze and quickly walked over to that he was beside their leader. He blinked his optics a few times before he finally looked up at Optimus and spoke, "Optimus, what happen? How did this happen?"

"Explanations can come later. At this moment, Knock Out requires medical attention. Once that is done with, I will explain to you what caused this situation." Optimus stood tall and proud, like he always did. He was a true leader and it showed, his aura just glowed with leadership and it was hard to miss. The mech took a few steps back in order to let the team medic work, but he made it clear that he was going to stay present during this procedure, something that he didn't do that often. Minor little surgeries that occurred to a team member did not require his presence, but something like this; he felt obligated as their leader to be their every moment.

Knock Out had his focus on the ceiling that was above them, not moving one single bit even at the sparks that flew off his wires that looked obviously painful. Besides, it's not like he could move anyways. He couldn't feel his legs; he wasn't even sure how badly they were damaged since the damage was so deep. He could only infer that due to the fact he couldn't feel them meant that those receptors were crushed on impact, and due to the fact of how fast the rock crushed his legs and how long he was under there it didn't cause too much pain. He could also infer that the legs themselves were pulled and separated from crucial wires when he was hit with the large boulder. He tried to stop and think for a moment, he was a doctor himself so he knew how this procedure should be; if it was done right at least. However Knock Out knew that Ratchet was an excellent medic, and he had no doubt in his mind that he would be up and running alongside Optimus in no time. He let his optics shut as he heard the sound of Ratchet going through his tools and beginning his procedure.

* * *

How long had it been? No one could really tell, but it felt like they were forever hearing the sounds of Ratchet's tools working. They were well aware that if a procedure where to be done right, it required time and patience. Unfortunately, patience was something that some of the team members didn't have at this moment. Arcee paced back in forth in the main space way by the ground bridge controls, Bumblebee sat on the ground his helm resting on his knees while he tried to pass the time by rolling one of Raf's cars that was given to him. Smokescreen was as jumpy as ever, trying to get a quick peek every now and then, constantly moving around as always. But at least his loud mouth wasn't going around. Bulkhead just stood silently, he was actually being the most well behave out of all of them.

Soon they all noticed the sound of—nothing. Everything was silent, the procedure was over.

Ratchet and Optimus walked to the main room to join the others, and they all looked at the both waiting for some kind of explanation.

"I've done… Everything I can. Fortunately for Knock Out, the extra supplies he had brought with him from the Nemesis served him well. His legs have somewhat repaired. It will take some therapy, but he will be up and standing in no time."

The team seemed relieved, which was strange. They paused and looked at each other for a moment as if they were all having the same thoughts. _They were worried about Knock Out? _ They all seemed to have the same thought and began to shift awkwardly. Luckily Smokescreen finally broke the awkward atmosphere.

"So, Optimus. What happen back there? Wasn't it just supposed to be recon? I mean, how did that one little mission turn into Knock Out getting his legs crushed?"

Optimus stood silent for a moment, and he took a glance back at their small Med bay corner to where their patient was resting before looking back at the rest of his team. "We engaged Megatron while on the mission. According to Knock Out, it was an abandoned energon mine, one that Starscream had ordered to flee."

"I guess they left so that you could come for the bait," Arcee said shaking her helm from side to side and making a tight fist, "They knew you would come to the signal. They knew we would follow the signal because we are so low on energon. Dirty trick, then again I shouldn't be surprised, it _is_ Megatron after all."

"In fact it was a dirty trick. We can only be grateful that Knock Out was not damaged any more than he already was. If things turned out differently, his injuries could have been worse. Thankfully, with the work of our amazing medic," Optimus said turning and placing his hand on the shoulder of Ratchet, "Knock Out will be fine."

Ratchet grumbled a bit and shrugged. He was used to getting compliments from Optimus, but this one felt different for some reason, it felt more sincere and more caring. But their moment was short lived when there was a loud clang from the Med bay. They all turned and slowly went over; Optimus' pace was a bit faster than the rest. When they arrived they found that the table was empty, and instead of a Cybertronian there, they found Knock Out on the floor desperately trying to pick himself up.

"What in the Allspark do you think you're doing?!" Ratchet shouted throwing his servos in the air in pure frustration, "You are supposed to be recuperating! You can't just throw yourself off of things!"

Knock Out blinked his optics that were obviously still trying to adjust themselves as he had just gotten out of recharge. He scanned the room and looked at the rest of the 'Bots that had gathered around. Heh, he had almost forgotten that he was back at base. But, how…? Oh yes, Optimus carried him….Oh no. His faceplates began to heat up as he recalled how he got there, and who had carried him. He tried to push the thoughts away and attempted to get up. "Don't get your ball bearings in a twist Ratchet, I am fine—"His sentence was cut off as he hit the ground again with another failed attempt of getting. "What the…" The medic gazed down at his legs that were now full restored; he made a mental note to ask how they got all the right parts for his model of vehicle form, but looked confused. The legs looked fine, so why wouldn't they work? The team could see his obvious frustration but they said nothing. They watched as he continued to scramble on the floor attempting to get his legs to move, at least wiggle, and do something!

"Scrap…! Why won't they move…!?" He shouted in aggravating, his attempts were doing nothing and he had made no progress. There he was; still on the floor. His optics were fixed on the ground, he was actually truly hopeless. The silent atmosphere was hard for all of them to endure, but it was broken when Optimus kneeled down to the medic and picked him up from the ground and placed him down on the table once again.

"Knock Out, your legs are not fully function yet, you have yet to regain full control of them. You will need to be prepared to take countless hours of therapy. If you are willing to do that, you will regain all movement in your legs."

The cherry red medic blinked his optics when the familiar feeling of being picked up hit him, he could feel his faceplates heat up again but he calmed himself down as he listened to the Prime. He needed his legs, he needed to walk and get around. No way was he going to just let his limp legs stay the way they were. He needed his legs. Therapy? Working? Those were some things Knock Out wasn't very fond of. But, he had to consider it. If it was the only way to get motion back in his legs it was worth a shot. However he still had some pride.

"Uh, therapy? By Primus please don't tell me I'll be working even more hours with that old Autobot am I?" He said gesturing to Ratchet who grunted and rolled his optics at that oh so familiar attitude that Knock Out gave him. "I rather rust. I spend enough time with that bore."

There were the small grumbles that escaped from the Autobot medic but everyone brushed it off. Optimus stood silent for a moment as he was deep in thought. He knew that Knock Out was stubborn, but he also knew that he wouldn't live his life as a cripple. He knew he wanted his legs to operate like they did before. What trouble this small mech caused.

He turned back to Knock Out after his long pause and spoke once again; all the members were looking at him. "Ratchet will not be the one who is in charge of maintaining your therapy."

"I will not?" Ratchet asked, with a complete look of confusion on his faceplates.

"No, I will." Optimus replied after giving a small nod at Ratchet, acknowledging his question.

"You? You are going to take care of Knock Out?" Arcee said placing her hands on her hips, obviously very frustrated with this whole situation. "Optimus, are you sure you didn't get any damage when you were in that cave too? You don't seem like yourself."

Optimus shook his helm from side to side and looked at Arcee, then to the rest of the team that had formed around them. They also had a look of confusion on their faceplates. "I am to be held responsible from my lack of judgment from the mission. It is the fault of my own that Knock Out is in this predicament. I shall take responsibility for this, and help him recuperate properly."

The team stood silently, of course when Optimus' mind was set they knew better than to argue with him. His word was final, and that was that. Bumblebee gave a nod and decided to be the first to leave the thick atmosphere, Smokescreen was to follow followed by Bulkhead, and Arcee. Soon it was just Ratchet, Optimus and Knock Out. How long they just stood in the silence was unknown to them, but they knew the sun had fallen down and the moon lifted into the sky. Knock Out was back into recharge finally getting some much needed rest.

"I hope you know what you are doing…" Ratchet said in a low tone glancing up at the Prime after doing some last night readings on Knock Out's internals.

"I do, I am confident in my decision. I will take responsibility for this. Do not worry; I will get him back on his feet." He replied with a small nod as his optics was fixed on the medic that was in recharge.


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow this chapter sure took a lot out of me. I'm sorry it took foreverrr I've been sooo busy with things in my life, but I was determined to put this up! I really love this pairing oh my Primus. (*≧▽≦) they are so adorable and such fun to write! I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am! Reviews are very much smiled upon. Thank you!_

_- Koko ❤_

* * *

"Scrap!" The red medic shouted as he slammed down again on the floor for the millionth time. The loud clang of metal was heard all throughout the base, everyone tried to ignore it but no one could really ignore all the noise Knock Out had been creating. If it wasn't his yelling and shouting, then it was the sound of metal crashing to the ground. At first they didn't mind, they had to be patient with him, they were ordered. But a mech can only handle the noise of a complaining medic for so long.

"All of this falling is giving me scratches on my finish! When this session is over I'm going to look no better than a common solider!" Knock Out said with a hard tone as he sat on his aft on the floor looking at the scratches on his chest plate and poked them to see how deep they were.

"We can hear you, you know!?" Arcee shouted from the other side of the room where she was standing with Smokescreen. Servos crossed over her chest plating, her optics narrowed as they fixed on the mech that was scrambling on the floor. "Being a solider isn't a bad thing, and we _soldiers_ are proud to be _soldiers_."

Arcee turned to glance at Smokescreen waiting as if he was going to say something along the same lines only to find that he had been messing with one of the monitors not listening to anything that Arcee was saying. She groaned in annoyance and stomped away, she had loss the urge to argue with the smaller mech.

"Recovery takes time you know! You can't rush these things, otherwise you will push your legs too much and they will cease to work." Ratchet snapped from the corner he was in looking over Knock Out's readings. "You want to be able to walk properly don't you? Quit complaining and just take it slow, it will pay in the long run trust me."

The cherry red mech growled at the remark and exvented heavily. Taking the therapy session was hard enough to do, but having to deal with the rest of the crew was even more of a bother. He wasn't even allowed to recharge in his own quarters, he was to recharge in the Med bay so that Ratchet would be able to monitor his condition. All in all, Knock Out saw no positives with everything. Due to the fact that Megatron had covered the cavern with boulders there was no way of the team to get the energon that was there. It would just sit there, untouched energon in its purest form. It aggravated Knock Out, his circuits ached, and he had failed. What bothered him even more was the fact that _he_ paid the price for failing. It cost him his legs, legs that he didn't even know he would be able to use again.

Knock Out closed his optics tightly and made tight fists on the ground below him. He had failed, just like on the Nemesis, when he failed Megatron he would pay the price, of course it was never as severe as this, in fact this pain was a little worse than Starscream chipping off his paint. The room had gotten quiet and everything was still. Ratchet was in his own world with….whatever he was doing; Arcee had left to the training room, Bumblebee with out with Bulkhead taking the children to the movies and Smokescreen….was being Smokescreen. Then Knock Out opened his optics again and looked around. Where was Prime? He was supposed to be the one who was monitoring Knock Out's therapy sessions, and yet he was nowhere to be found!

'_How rude! No mech—Not even a Prime will keep me waiting around and break their promise!'_ Knock Out thought to himself as he grinded his denta together. He decided he would set out and look for where the leader could have gone to. He would bring him back here and make him keep his promise in assisting with his recovery. There was just one little problem with Knock Out's plan…he had to walk around. He looked down at his lifeless legs and gave them an aggressive smack.

"I heard that! Don't you go banging against your metal! It's sensitive enough!" The Autobot medic called out from the opposite side of the room, hearing and knowing exactly what Knock Out was doing.

The ex-Con groaned out loud as he was scolded by the Autobot. He laid flat on the ground and thought for a moment. He had two choices. First, lay here and just go into recharge or second, attempt to get himself on his legs and walk to the Prime.

"….Frag." Knock Out said softly as he finally made his mind up. He knew he didn't want to live his life without his legs, and he did agree on getting the help from Optimus and he might as well use it. There was no way he was going to be known as 'Knock Out the medic with no legs.' The medic sat upright and reached for the edge of a counter top to balance himself out. As he began to slowly push himself up he closed his optics tightly; the pain was excruciating. He hadn't taken a full step since his legs were crushed; this was the first real time he was getting back on his feet since the accident. "Come on you slaging legs…move!" He whispered angrily, but it sounded more like a cry rather than a threat. He held onto the edge of the counter tightly so ensure he wouldn't collapse again, which was rather difficult considering how much pain his legs were causing him. The sound of metal scraping against the ground was loud enough to be heard all throughout the base, but Knock Out refused to quit; no yet at least. His legs dragged against the floor, one step, two steps, three steps. He stopped. Knock Out could barely take another step. The pain was too much for him to deal with and he could feel his interior heating up. Ratchet was right, if he pushed himself too hard he would only make his legs worse. But he had to continue, he had to push forward…No. That was it. He gave in, he quit.

The medic gave a small but deep exvent and then, his legs and strength completely gave out. Closing his optics to prepare for the horrid impact that was to come he prepared for the worst.

Only, he never made contact with the ground. He opened one optic to find a large servo holding onto his chassis. A rather large servo it was…familiar in color scheme….that shade of red… was it..? Before Knock Out could think any further he was forced into a systems shut down, and his entire body went limp. Of course, the only bot in the whole team with that shade of red, Optimus Prime himself.

Optimus let out a soft sigh, "It seems as if I cannot leave you alone for a short moment's time without you getting yourself into some form of trouble." He carried the smaller mech as he did before quite easily due to the fact that Optimus was much larger and stronger than the medic. Without saying anything to Ratchet he quietly walked by and made his way to his quarters, with the patient in his servos.

* * *

When Knock Out's optics came back online his processor was pounding. He groaned a bit quite aggravated and in pain, he held his claws against his helm and squirmed a bit around the berth he was in. _'Wait a moment,_' Knock Out thought to himself_, 'Where am I…? Who's berth does this belong to?'_ The small mech looked around the room and found Optimus Prime standing on the opposite side of the room; he looked like he was setting up something… some sort of contraption of a sort.

"Prime." The medic spoke calmly, trying to hide the fact that he was utterly confused and in so much pain. "What am I doing here? Where are we to begin with?"

"You are in my quarters."

"What?! What am I doing here?! How did I—"

"Your systems crashed so I brought you here, after all I did say that I would assist you in recovering." Optimus replied with a small nod and took a few steps away from the contraption he was making. Knock Out tried to glance over and see what it was, but couldn't exactly make out what it was. It just looked like two poles that were parallel to one another.

Knock Out pulled his body so that his legs were hanging on the edge of the berth, his small size was shown in comparison to the Prime's large berth. "What's that?" He asked as he pointed a claw at the poles beside him.

Optimus turned on an angle so that Knock Out was able to get a better look at his piece of work. The two large poles were exactly parallel to each other and were screwed into the ground to insure stability. The Prime extended a servo toward its direction; it reminded Knock Out of the humans at car dealerships who always introduced their vehicle in that manner. "This, is your new means of therapy. I thought of it while doing a bit of research. It seems to work well on this planet, and since this planet has come to be our home for the moment I believe we too should be equipping ourselves to their customs."

The smaller mech gave a low grunt. Though he had sided with the Autobots, he still had mixed feelings about the humans and the reasons on why the Autobots swore to protect them. The thought of doing the same acts as the humans did sent chills all throughout Knock Out's back strut. "You expect me to use that piece of human technology?" Knock Out asked as he crossed his servos over his chest. "I don't think so."

"Knock Out, do not forget your place here. There are still matters of authority, and respect. I agreed to help you out of the goodness in my spark; all I ask in return is for a form of effort on your part. You do wish to get back on your feet don't you?" Optimus asked with a stern look on his faceplates.

Knock Out grunted softly and looked from his legs and then back to the human equipment that was on the other side of the room. He knew that the Prime had a point. If this machine was to help him regain his strength he would want to us it to the best of his abilities, but the only thing that was holding him back was his pride. He let out another groan and covered his face with his hand. "Fine, fine… we'll play this you're way. You are in charge of my recovering anyway, so this better work. I want my legs to move again." Knock Out took a small pause and saw the great distance between himself and his new piece of machinery. "Carry me."

Optimus raised an optic ridge and had a puzzled look on his faceplates. "I'm sorry, but may you repeat that?"

"Carry me over to my new work station. Don't act like it's a big deal. You've carried me before; this time is no different than the others. Carry me over there."

"I don't think I appreciate the tone you are using with me, Knock Out. I would perhaps consider it if you asked nicely." Optimus replied looking at the medic, he was unsure if he was capable of doing such a simple act but he had faith in him. Even if it was a small amount of it.

Knock Out starred at the Prime with those glowing red optics, right into those bright blue ones. It seemed like they had interlocked optics for some time until Knock Out turned away from him. He stayed silent and starred at the wall before he spoke again. "Optimus, I wish to regain the movement in my legs…._please_ help me, and _please _carry me over so I may begin my long journey ahead." The tone was a bit rough, but he did ask somewhat nicely. Optimus had to accept it; he knew that was the best that he was going to get out of the spunky little medic.

"Very well then." Optimus replied as he stepped toward the smaller mech and carefully took his body and lifted him in the air so that he was in his arms. There was that feeling again. The feeling of being protected, the feeling that Knock Out only got when he was like this, with Optimus. He closed his optics for a slight moment and then opened them again to see that the leader was also looking down at him. Optics locked, neither of them noticed that Optimus had stopped walking. They just stood there, the two of them in the middle of the room, with a berth but a few feet away…

"Oh uh, am I interrupting something?" Another voice came by the doorway. Who other than the pesky youngling, Smokescreen was there by the doorway poking his head inside with a confused look and then quickly covered his optics. "Uh, sorry for coming in without knocking!" Before either one of the other bots could say something, Smokescreen had already dashed down the hallway. Something told Knock Out that Smokescreen's arrival was the beginning of bad news.

"You don't have your door locked?" Knock Out snapped.

"I have no need to lock it. The members of my team are free to see me at any moment. I trust them to not misuse the opportunity I give them." Replied the Prime, he always seemed to have an explanation for everything Knock Out asked.

"Ugh, never mind. I regret I asked I should have known you would say something like that." The medic groaned and began to scramble in the Prime's arms trying to get down.

Optimus noticed his struggles and gently put him down so his legs were touching the ground but he held onto his arms to help steady the smaller mech. He could tell Knock Out wasn't pleased with having to hold hands with the Prime to insure he wouldn't fall but he didn't mind. This was nothing more than training to help the mech regain his legs. But to make sure Knock Out would know he wouldn't be holding onto him the entire time he spoke, "The task is very straight forward and simple. You support yourself on these bars. One servo on each, you make your way from one end to the other. Then you return. You continue this process for a bit, then take a break and restart."

"And how exactly does this help me at all?" Knock Out snapped as he touched the supports with his claws.

"As a medic I would think you could understand." Optimus replied and slowly began to move his servos that were supporting Knock Out. "You start to give strength to your legs again. But as always you cannot push yourself too hard or your joints will snap."

Low grumbles escaped the medic's vocals as he felt the arms that were holding him up move. He quickly grabbed onto his new supports and grunted. Pulling his own weight was a lot harder than he thought it would be. He knew this exercise would give him more upper body strength but also help his legs. _So much work_. Knock Out looked at the opposite end of the supports, in reality it wasn't that far of a distance to walk, but it looked like a mile hike up some mountain. He could feel Optimus' optics watching him, waiting for him to take his first step which made things all the more difficult.

With a low exvent and another groan, Knock Out slowly moved his arms forward bringing the rest of his buddy forward with it. One drag and he was already tired. How could he make it all the way to the other side? Knock Out moved his arms again and his legs came along. "Do not drag your legs," Optimus said from behind the small mech, "Try to pick them up and move them with the rest of your body."

"This isn't exactly _easy_ you know." The smaller mech snapped back at the Prime, not even caring about braking protocol. He grunted again before he attempted to move his legs again, a sharp pain ran through his body and he completely collapsed. Optimus, acted without thinking, which is strange since he always thought his actions through, just went and caught the smaller mech before his faceplates could make contact with the floor.

There they were again, in the familiar position. The smaller mech was wrapped in the arms of the Prime, not even trying to put up a fight. He was too tired, too weak, and frankly he didn't give a frag. "You must have pushed yourself too much today. We will end this session early, but continue again tomorrow."

"Fine, whatever _you _say, you're the boss." Knock Out grumbled as he rubbed his legs that had pain coursing through them. "Just saying, don't be so bossy with me, or I'll refuse to work with you and I'll just go back to working with Ratchet—" The medic was cut off short when he heard the doors slide open and nearly the whole team was there peaking their helms in.

"See! I told you Optimus was carrying Knock Out around like they're together or something!" said Smokescreen, who wasn't even trying to keep his voice low even though it was quite obvious everyone else was trying to be stealthy. The others simply all gave him a smack on the back of his helm and shushed him even though they were all already exposed out to the open.

Knock Out simply growled at the sight of all of the bots. He had had enough of them for the past days, and he was surely going to burst if he had to deal with their presence again. Not only that, but it bothered Knock Out that they were all basically spying on the Prime and himself, was there no privacy in this fragging base?! As much as Knock Out wanted to yell at them all and kick around he couldn't. He was stuck in the arms of the Prime and couldn't do anything about it.

"Uh, Optimus… How's therapy going?" Bulkhead asked nervously trying to make it seem like they weren't watching the whole thing and still in awe at the fact that Optimus still had the smaller mech in his arms. It was a bit odd for them to all take in.

Optimus stood tall and proud at his fellow Autobots, he didn't even seem the bit uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Therapy is slow paced, but I have every confidence that Knock Out will recover in no time. He just needs to push himself a bit more, and he will soon enough get feeling back in his legs."

"Right… Um…" Arcee said a bit unsure about the whole thing; she couldn't find the proper words to say.

Bumblebee let out a few beeps and whirls, as he pointed at Optimus and Knock Out with confused eyes. The youngling looked back at the rest of the team and then back at the two mechs with a few more beeps and whirls.

"Yeah, what Bee said." Arcee finally managed as he she pointed at Bee and then back at the two. "Why exactly are you carrying Knock Out around? Shouldn't he be learning to get around on his own?" the blue femme spoke again, translating what Bumblebee said.

Knock Out blinked for a moment, he hadn't realized how strange they must look to the team, and he was even more surprised that even now Optimus had him in his arms. The medic glanced up at the Prime who still had that stern express on his faceplates and waited for him to say something.

Optimus looked down at the small mech in his arms and opened his mouth, but he did not say anything. Instead he turned and placed Knock Out down on the berth and held him for a moment to make sure he was steady and wouldn't fall. The Prime turned swiftly as he always did, with a frame like that every move he made was swift and graceful. He stepped closer to his team members and leaned down a bit, do to his large size. "Knock Out has made many…encounters with the ground since the accident has occurred. By keeping him away from contact, he will cease complaining about his finish. I think it would be best for everyone if that was avoided."

They all exchanged uneasy looks at each other, but they knew better than to question the Prime and simply nodded. They trusted him, and if he said that was the case then that is what it was. "It is rather late; perhaps you should all get some recharge before the day that awaits us tomorrow." Optimus said calmly to the Autobots.

"Uh, alright. See you tomorrow then…" answered Smokescreen as he continued to rub the back of his helm where he had been smacked several times. One by one the bots all left the room of the Prime and it was back to just being the two of them. Knock Out shifted awkwardly with the change of atmosphere and let out a small cough.

"I heard what you said to them…" Knock Out said with a sharp voice, he was obviously tired and aggravated. "You basically lied to them, flat out….didn't you?"

Optimus stood there silently and looked down at the two poles that were set up at the far end of the room. He was deep in thought, Knock Out could tell. His light blue optics blinked a few times before he turned back at the medic that was sitting on his berth. "No, I did not lie. It would be best for the team if they did not need to hear your constant complaining over the scratches that you get when you fall. However…" He trailed off as he saw the pout the medic made at the comment, "_I would be lying if I didn't say that I did rather enjoy having you in my arms like that…" _

The blood red optics were the ones that blinked in confusion this time, and he could feel his faceplates heat up a bit. He still had to stand his ground, he didn't know if the Prime was just messing with his circuits or not. He let out a groan and turned away, "Whatever. I'm going into recharge, leave me alone." He said as he lay flat on the berth, and tried to pick up his legs to fix them across the berth.

"On my berth…? Very well then." Optimus said flatly, not even slightly bothered by the fact that he was berth was now being occupied by the medic. "Allow me," He said softly as he watched the medic try and fix his legs.

Optimus carefully picked up the snow white legs of the medic and fixed them across the berth. It was no lie that Knock Out was a rather attractive mech. He had curves all in the right places, and the choice of that killer shade of red brought the attention of a mech's optic. Not to mention that Knock Out himself was always trying to be seductive. Primus, he had the perfect vocals for it, and he knew how to use his hips against a mecha. You'd be lying to yourself if you didn't think Knock Out was even the slightest bit attractive. In all truth, Optimus had never given it much thought until now, that he was spending more time with the medic. He was able to appreciate the curves and the way the medic moved, swaying his hips from side to side and strutting along the halls as if didn't have a care in the world.

As his digits came across the medic's legs he couldn't help but feel pleasure course through his frame. Pleasure wasn't something he exactly felt while there was a war going on, so to have this feeling was…nice. He quickly pulled his digits away from the tempting legs and turned away and made his way to a seat that he had at the far corner of the room. He sat silently as he thought about what had just happen and gave another quick glance at the smaller mech that was spread on his berth. Knock Out was already in recharge, or it looked like it at least, so Optimus simply sighed and looked up at the ceiling, he became lost in thought.

The mech who was supposedly in recharge, had his optics closed but his faceplates were heated. Did he really hear the Autobot correctly? Maybe he was just imagining all of that, everything that the Prime said to him…well at least the last part.

_Or maybe he heard it all correctly._

"…You know I'm supposed to only recharge in the Med bay so Ratchet can monitor me—"

"I will deal with Ratchet; right now you just need to focus on getting some recharge. You did a lot today, and you're making quite the progress. I am proud." Optimus replied with a small glance at the medic and then went back to looking at the ceiling.

_Proud?_ Knock Out could only imagine how stupid he must look at this moment considering how hot his faceplate was getting.

* * *

To be continued in chapter 6...


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